“Stage and Screen Are Completely Different”—Kotaro Yoshida Reflects on 50 Years of Acting

On April 28, the recipients of the Spring 2026 Medals of Honor were announced, and actor and director Kotaro Yoshida(67) was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon. The award recognized his many years of achievements in both theater and film, as well as his significant contributions to Japan’s performing arts. Yoshida said he learned of the honor while he was in the middle of filming.

“The first thing I did was look up what the Medal with Purple Ribbon actually was (laughs). Then I realized it was an incredibly prestigious award. Names like Hisaya Morishige and Toshiro Mifune were listed—people who are truly beyond my reach. It’s an enormous honor, but at the same time, it made me feel that the responsibility on my shoulders has become even greater.”

The origin of his acting career

Despite his image as someone who often plays bold, larger-than-life characters, this unpretentious reaction is quintessentially Yoshida. In an interview with “FRIDAY,” he also shared these candid thoughts about acting.

“Shakespeare is incredibly challenging. Depending on your age, your state of mind, your education, and your intellectual growth, you can interpret it in completely different ways. I don’t think there’s ever a single correct answer, even at the very end.”

His story differs somewhat from the familiar tale of star actors who say they dreamed of becoming performers from childhood. Instead, it was a chance encounter that changed the course of his life. The turning point came when he saw Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night” while he was in high school.

“It was a feeling I’d never experienced before. It wasn’t a musical, a concert, or a dance performance. I could physically feel the raw energy of actors performing right in front of me. At the same time, I had the sense that I was witnessing something profoundly intellectual and refined. I still vividly remember that shock.”

Captivated both by the energy of the stage and the intelligence carried in Shakespeare’s words, the young Yoshida resolved to become an actor. Since then, he has devoted nearly half a century to Shakespeare’s works.

More recently, as artistic director and leading actor of the Sainokuni Shakespeare Series, inherited from the late Yukio Ninagawa (who died at the age of 80), he also appeared in “King Lear” at the Saitama Arts Theater from May 5 to May 24. He spoke enthusiastically about discovering new dimensions in Shakespeare’s works as he grows older.

“Ever since I encountered Shakespeare at 18, I’ve stayed with it. As you get older, you start thinking, ‘I should have done that,’ or ‘Maybe I could have approached it this way.’ Those regrets accumulate. As long as my body can move and my mind keeps working, I want to pursue it as far as I possibly can, taking it seriously both as an actor and as a director.”

A unique kind of tension felt after 50 years in the business

In recent years, Yoshida has also established a commanding presence in film and television. Although he was a late bloomer, he rose to prominence in his 50s through hit productions such as “Hanzawa Naoki” (TBS, 2013) and the NHK morning drama “Hanako to Anne” (2014). The “Ossan’s Love” series (TV Asahi, from 2016) became such a phenomenon that it topped worldwide trending topics on X during its original broadcast.

He also appears in the film “Returning My Driver’s License!?,” released on June 19, alongside legendary star Hiroshi Tachi(76). The film has attracted attention for bringing Tachi’s popular actor character, Hiroshi Nanjō, back to the screen for the first time in about 30 years since the 1994 film “No License!.” Yoshida plays the president of the talent agency to which Nanjō belongs.

Although it was Yoshida’s first substantial collaboration with Tachi, he admitted to an unexpected feeling.

“I was so nervous that I could hardly concentrate on preparing for the role (laughs). In this film, I’m constantly with Mr. Tachi and Nanase Nishino (32), who plays his manager. More than anything, I kept thinking about what kind of distance I should maintain with Mr. Tachi and how I should interact with him in our performances.”

Even after nearly 50 years in the profession, sharing the screen with one of Japan’s greatest movie stars gave Yoshida a distinctive sense of tension.

“I come from the theater, so I’m different from film stars. Even though it’s all acting, they’re completely different genres. It felt incredibly fresh, and I definitely approached it with a sense of caution. I was very nervous.”

Tachi, however, reportedly remained humble about his own abilities.

“Mr. Tachi kept saying, ‘I don’t have any formal acting method, so I feel bad for Mr. Yoshida.’ Coming from a theater background, acting alongside him really felt like an inter-style martial arts match. People may think they’re the same, but the atmosphere on set, the way voices are projected—it’s all different. I loved ‘No License!,’ and I never imagined I’d one day exist in the same world as Hiroshi Nanjō. Even though our backgrounds are different, that kind of ‘cross-discipline showdown’ in acting was fascinating.”

In his private life, Yoshida married a woman 22 years his junior in 2016. The couple now have two daughters, and he says that, unlike the days when work consumed his entire life, the time he spends with his family has become deeply meaningful.

“I wouldn’t say it’s completely changed my outlook on life, but my everyday life with my daughters has become a new source of energy as an actor. I suppose I’ll understand later what kind of influence raising children has had on me, but right now, I spend time with them almost like we’re friends. Sometimes I’ll let my guard down while holding a rice ball at breakfast, and one of them will suddenly snatch it from the side and eat it instead (laughs). Those lively yet peaceful days make me very happy.”

On stage, he plays kings. On screen, he trades performances with legendary actors. At home, he is a devoted father. Even after reaching the major milestone of receiving the Medal with Purple Ribbon, the 67-year-old master actor continues to look ahead toward new horizons in life.